Jan. 17, 2012
Remember when Vanderbilt had lost three of four games and were 6-4 overall following a 61-55 loss to Indiana State on Dec. 17? How quickly things can change. It’s been one month since that uncertain period for the Commodores, and in that time Vanderbilt has not lost. Following Saturday’s gritty win against Georgia, the Commodores have won seven in a row. It’s the longest win streak since the 2009-10 season when Vanderbilt won 10 straight.
With the early losses, Vanderbilt vanished from the top 10 and the polls altogether, but the current winning streak has the team back on the verge of the top 25 again. And it comes at a time when the team is preparing to embark on its most challenging week yet.
Ahead, Vanderbilt will play at 13-4 Alabama on Thursday and host 15-3 Mississippi State on Saturday. The games will be pivotal in a league that is no longer divided into two divisions. Currently, only Kentucky and the Commodores are 3-0 in the SEC, but Alabama and Mississippi State are joined by Florida and Arkansas at 2-1 in league play, just one game behind the Commodores and Wildcats for first place.
After beating Georgia 77-66 on Saturday, Head Coach Kevin Stallings was asked about being tied for the league lead at 3-0 with wins at South Carolina and at home against Auburn and the Bulldogs.
“You can tie it, but you can’t beat it,” Stalllings quipped. “We’ll take that. We’ve obviously got a very difficult game in front of us now at Alabama and a difficult week. I guess the rubber starts meeting the road here a little bit. But we feel good about our team.”
As he should.
The Commodores are playing their best basketball to date, and a lot of the team’s success is due to the play of their defense – a known deficiency in recent years.
Last season, Vanderbilt finished 167th in scoring defense, allowing 67.7 points per game. Teams also shot 41.1% against the Commodores, good for 60th in the country. Two seasons ago, Vanderbilt ranked 187th in scoring defense after giving up 68.9 points per game. Teams again shot 41.1% against the Commodores, which ranked 70th in 2010.
During Vanderbilt’s current winning streak, it is evident that the difference has been on defense. The Commodores are holding teams to just 58 points per game and opponents are shooting 39% from the field.
Furthermore, Vanderbilt has held five of its last seven opponents below their scoring average and shooting percentages for the season. Only Miami (Ohio) – buoyed by a hot shooting night from reserve guard that made 8-of-10 three-pointers – topped its season average in points and shooting percentage. Georgia’s 66 points were more than its season average of 62.2 and Longwood’s 44% shooting night surpassed its season average of 43.4%.
For as much success as the team is having on the defensive end lately, the numbers don’t match the team’s play for the entire course of the season. On the year, Vanderbilt is surrendering 65.4 points per game and teams are shooting 42.5% from the floor.
The difference in numbers between the two time frames is discernible so the question remains: Is the team’s recent play on the defensive end an anomaly or can it be sustained throughout the rest of the season?
It is a question, no one can answer at this point, but it may provide the answer for how successful the team can be this season.
Certainly a part of the reason why Vanderbilt’s defense is on the uptick is due to the return of center Festus Ezeli. The 6-foot-11 senior center missed the first six weeks of the season due to a sprained MCL and PCL in his right knee. He then missed two more games due to his left knee being sore as a result of offseason surgery. He has now played in five straight games and has seven blocked shots during that time.
“Festus’ presence changes the scope of our team defensively,” Stallings said. “He just gives us a presence at the goal that we don’t have without him. When he gets back to 100 percent and has his timing back, he gives us a presence offensively at the goal that we don’t have without him. He changes the nature we can do things on both ends when he is healthy and he is right.”
On Saturday, Ezeli played 23 minutes, the most he has played this season. As he continues to work his way back, his playing time will increase. The more Ezeli is on the floor, the more the team will resemble what so many thought it could be when the season began. Against Georgia, it was just the fourth time this season and fourth game in a row that Vanderbilt’s starting lineup reflected the projected preseason lineup.
Ezeli has not been the only player to miss time this season. Also of note, John Jenkins missed a game due to an ankle injury and Steve Tchiengang missed a game because of concussion-like symptoms.
For many teams, the adversity the team faced with the losses and injuries could have been enough to send a team into a tailspin. However, despite the turmoil from losses and missed practices and games from individuals due to injuries, the Commodores are exactly where they wanted to be in the SEC standings.
“I think if you want to be a championship team like we want to this season, you have to start (conference play) out well,” forward Jeffery Taylor said. “You can’t dig yourself a hole at the beginning of the (conference) season, so we definitely feel good where we are right now. The outlook is good for us.”
A crucial part of Vanderbilt’s ability to fight through the difficult times has been its ability to keep the blinders on and not to get caught up in what others are saying.
“Our objective is to be the best that we can be at the end of the season,” Stallings said. “As a coaching staff we haven’t allowed our players to get bogged down in the adversities and troubles we’ve had so far. Our focus is on what is in front of us and not what is behind us.”
Vanderbilt began the season ranked No. 7 in both polls. Looking back at the poll, six other teams that were ranked in the top 15 now have as many or more losses than the Commodores do now with four. And while many of those programs are going in the opposite direction now, Vanderbilt is looking up.
“The thing we are inherently more excited about is that we finally feel like we are starting to get better and have all of our weapons available to us, and as that continues, we feel like we will just continue to improve,” Stallings said.
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